Roofs can be constructed with surfaces thereof having a steep pitch, and various roof workers must traverse the steep-pitched roofs. Roof workers include but are not limited to: satellite-dish installers, home-owners, chimney workers, telecommunications personnel, and electricians.
By way of example, to install a satellite dish, a roof worker typically climbs a traditional ladder in order to access the roof. The roof worker then traverses vertically on the roof to determine a height for the dish, traverses horizontally on the roof to determine a lateral position for the satellite dish, and places the satellite dish at the determined height and lateral position on the roof. The height and lateral position of the satellite dish are determined as the optimal place on the roof for the satellite dish to receive satellite signals. Thus, roof workers traverse both horizontally and vertically on steep-pitched roofs in order to install satellite equipment.
When a roof worker horizontally and vertically traverses a steep-pitched roof, a variety of problems can arise. First, footing is unstable. Continuing with the example above, unstable footing leads to less efficient satellite-dish installations because roof workers dedicate time and energy to maintaining a firm footing in addition to installing equipment. The loss of time and energy is not recoverable and is a built-in cost of doing business for companies employing roof workers. Second, persons and companies must carry insurance in the event someone has trouble balancing both his/her own weight and/or the weight of any equipment, resulting in a fall and/or injury of the roof worker, the equipment, and/or other people. Insurance adds to the cost of owning a steep-pitched roof or doing business on steep-pitched roofs for persons and companies.